Pituitary Cancer Treatment Side Effects

After surgery, a person may experience discomfort in the area where the incision was made. A person who has surgery to remove his or her pituitary gland may have to take replacement hormones, which do the work the gland once did. These replacement hormones may cause some side effects.

Although there can be complications of surgery for pituitary tumors, it is extremely rare that this would happen. Rare complications of surgery for pituitary tumors include brain damage, stroke, blindness (from optic nerve injury), and meningitis (infection of the protective membrane of the brain).

Side Effects of Hormone-Blocking Medications

If a person's pituitary gland is not removed or treated with radiation, drugs may be given to block some of the pituitary hormones. These hormone-blocking drugs may have side effects. They can include nausea, dizziness, tiredness, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and depression.

Side Effects of Radiation

Radiation for pituitary tumors works very slowly. It takes months and perhaps years for radiation to take effect on pituitary tumors and return the hormone production to normal levels. Radiation may cause normal pituitary function to be lost. Therefore after radiation, patients are followed by an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist will perform regular exams and hormone-level checks to detect if the system is underactive.

Radiation can also cause some damage to nearby parts of the brain and it may increase a person’s risk of getting a brain tumor later in their life.